"Hello, Mr. Luthor. It's a pleasure to see you. We've worked together before, so there's no need to beat around the bush."
A woman sat on the office sofa. She adjusted her hair and said, "The main reason I came today was to ask whether there are any jobs you can send our way lately. You know how bad the market's getting. My friends and I can barely afford to eat. If you can introduce us to a few good jobs, we can handle something for you free of charge."
"Mr. Luthor... Mr. Luthor?!"
Lex Luthor jolted awake. He realized how grim his expression had become. Looking at the heavily made-up woman across from him, he took a deep breath and said, "I don't have any business to refer to you."
The woman sighed with apparent regret, but she was actually studying Lex Luthor's expression closely. Seeing no sign that anything was amiss, she knew he had not found any evidence of last night's break-in.
It was just a shame he had discovered it too quickly. She had not had time to confirm whether he really had obtained the snake's tail. Perhaps it was not too late now?
She could tell that Lex Luthor was distracted. Though she did not know what had rattled him, this would be a good chance to make her move. Her eyes shifted as she said, "It seems I was too abrupt. But as a broker, I have to take the initiative, or all the good jobs will go to someone else. I hope you don't mind my presumption. If anything suitable comes up, please contact me first thing."
After saying that, she stood, walked over to the desk, took out a bottle of red wine, and set it on the desk. "A small token